Which Desk Chair Would You Use?

desk chairWhich Desk Chair Would You Use?

Over the past  ten years I have slowly spent more and more time at my desk.

For better or worse working in front of a computer has become an indispensable part of my life.

And I like the work that I do.

About a decade ago, I went the extra mile and purchased the Rolls Royce of desk chairs, Herman Miller’s Aeron. It really is an amazing piece of machinery. I would imagine that to some extent chairs are personal but the Aeron felt right from the first sitting.

The Aeron cost me $700.

Years ago we went to Ikea to set up school desks for my kids and lacking the foresight to think that we would also need chairs, we grabbed two plastic rolling chairs on the way to the checkout line.

They were $10 each.

Like I said, I have spent more and more time at my desk over the past few years. I didn’t mention how much more time.

Unfortunately there are days when I am at my desk for more than twelve hours, a concept I would have thought impossible just a couple of years ago.

In the past I have written about the need to mix up the office environment. I stand, I sit on an exercise ball, and I use a balance board and my formerly coveted Aeron.

But now I have traded in the Aeron for the discount Ikea chair and the immediate differences are profound.

The Aeron is comfortable, which is not really a good thing over the course of numerous hours. It actually became a rare occurrence for me to sit back correctly into the chair for extended periods.

If you sit fully into the chair it has a great lumbar support. But it always seems as if the front edge of the seat beckoned me forward, doing terrible things to my pelvis and spine.

My hard as a rock piece of $10 plastic doesn’t allow me any such ease. It makes me sit up since there isn’t another option.

And it puts my butt to sleep, forcing me to get up and change more often.

I am a fan of high quality gear but there is no denying that my kids no budget Ikea chair is serving me well.

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L5/ S1: Where The Lumbar Spine Meets The Sacrum